


i can tell that we are gonna be friends

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship/Love, I promise, M/M, Work In Progress, takes place in the south, this will be good when i'm done with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 22:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1834159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam is told that they were moving once again, he hardly knew what to expect. </p><p>Another hard motel bed, maybe. A crappy school.</p><p>But not this. Certainly not this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sam hated moving. 

He hated everything about it, from having to gather his belongings and stuff them into a duffle bag to the car ride to whatever new location they were going to. 

He hated the way each new motel bed felt under him, hated having to explain to the people at each new school why he had shown up in the middle of a semester. 

It was his dad's work, he always said, trying not to reveal too much. When they asked what his dad did, Sam would just shrug. He never told them the truth. 

Ever since Sam and his older brother Dean were little, their father John Winchester was what anyone with eyes would call a bum. He bummed off of everyone; he bummed jobs, he bummed shelter. It seemed like the only thing he didn't bum was transportation, but that was only because of the Impala, which he'd had under his name for longer than even Sam and Dean's mom was in the picture. 

Right now John was bumming for a job a temporary used car parts salesman. Before that, he had moved everyone out to Wyoming where he worked for a short time at a small pawn shop. That made him just enough cash to get them to their current location: Montevallo, Alabama. 

Aside from the fact that moving was probably his least favourite thing anyways, the thought of living in a college town was an instant turn off. 

It seemed superficial; why would Sam want to bum around in a town known for the university planted there when he himself would be staying there maybe three months, tops? 

It may have been even shorter than that if it weren't for the fact that his dad had actually found a house for them to lodge at this time, not a motel room. There weren't motels around anyways. 

"We're going to stay with a few friends of mine," he had explained to them on the highway, before the passed the 'Welcome to Montevallo' sign. "Decent people. They're the reason I'm getting a job here."

It turned out that it was some of John's old hunting buddies that they were staying with, a man and his son, both of whom were named Ray Hamby. Ray the elder was about forty-five, with a thin, gaunt face and a bald head, which he made up for with a thick grey beard. His son, only twenty-three, wasn't much larger than he was, with the same facial structure and deep-set grey eyes. 

It also turned out that they didn't actually live in Montevallo. They lived in Pea Ridge. A place much smaller (and considerably more backwoods) than Montevallo, but it was close enough to the border of the main town that you could probably get away with lying about which place you were from. 

The Hamby house, they noticed upon arriving, wasn't much larger than most of the motels the Winchesters had stayed at, but it was still an improvement, even if slight.  
There was a small set of cement steps leading up to a screen door, and beyond that there was a little indoor porch. 

"Y'all boys make yerselves comfortable," older Ray told them as the screen door slammed behind them, bags hoisted over their shoulders. 

Younger Ray was helping John bring in his own belongings, chatting with him about some kind of new-fangled fishing lure. 

Sam and Dean looked around the house with frozen expressions. There was a small fireplace, outlined with a Native-American-style rug, and on almost every wall hung the stuffed head of some kind of animal that one or both of the Rays had shot.

"Well, this is suffiently creepy," Dean muttered to Sam, squatting to place his bag on the wooden floor. 

Sam silently agreed. He knew that John only hunted occasionally and it was usually for some kind of reward, but he had never imagined that he'd ever actually become friends with any of the other hunters. 

Good friends, he thought now, considering that the Rays had kindly offered their dad a job and a place for all of them to stay.

Even if it was a little creepy. 

When younger Ray had finished helping John with his things, he showed Sam and Dean their room. It was near the back of the house, next to a tiny rathroom and an even tinier hallway closet, and when he pushed the door open, it creaked. 

The boys weren't surprised to see even more stuffed heads. There was one of a doe (which Sam wasn't sure was legal or not) and another of a beaver, but it really wasn't a head. Just its ass. 

"All right then, boys," younger Ray said, clasping his hands together, "y'all let me know if there's anything you need. Gets a little chilly at night, so if you need blankets or anything, just holler." 

They nodded understandingly, giving him their thanks. After that, Dean started digging into his duffle bag, pulling out shirts and pajama pants and whatever else before turning to the dresser behind him and shoving the clothes into drawers. 

"This is retarded," Dean muttered. 

Sam rolled his eyes. "Nice, Dean. It's better than a motel." 

Dean scoffed. "There weren't any freakin' pet cemetery remains in the motels we stayed at," he replied in a snap. 

Sam couldn't deny that; watching Dean shove his clothes into the dresser drawers brought his attention to a statue of a stuffed squirrel curled around a small log that was sitting on top on the piece of furniture. 

He averted his eyes. 

"Yeah, but, still," Sam pressed, shuffling his feet, "at least we don't have to eat take out or snack machine food for a while." 

Aside from all the freaky dead animals scattered around the house, it was said that older Ray knew how to make a pretty good stew from, you guessed it, freaky dead animals. 

"Yeah," Dean said, pushing in a drawer that couldn't hold any more, "well, food is the least of my concerns right now. Do you really think Texas Chainsaw's got a job for Dad?" 

Sam considered his question for a moment. Then, shrugging a little, he said, "I dunno. Probably. I don't think he'd be desperate enough to lure Dad halfway across the country just so he could go Leatherface on him. He's probably just trying to do him a favour." 

There was a brief quiet after that, and Dean just looked down at his remaining clothes, as if wishing they would just put themselves away. 

"We'll see," he said finally. 

Later that night, older Ray made his stew. The smell of cooked meat and spices wafted through the house, until even Dean couldn't deny a bowl of it. 

As everyone made their way 'round the little wooden table to take a seat, younger Ray announced, "Y'all ain't lived till you had this stew. It'd make even you Yankees ashamed of your mama's cookin'." He laughed. 

John chuckled back. "Too bad we ain't from the North, Lil' Ray," he replied, folding his hands in front of him, "Kansas, remember?"

Lil' Ray waved a hand. "Shoot, anything above Bama and Mississippi is north is you ask me." 

There was a short collective laugh after that, before everyone picked up their fork to dig into the stew. It only took a few bites for the Winchester boys to realize that this was, indeed, some pretty mother-shaming stew. 

But even as Sam ate and everyone else talked and joked, he still felt that uncomfortable sense that this wasn't a good idea, being here- not even in the house, just the place. He thought about what Dean said earlier. Had older Ray really gotten him a job? 

Sam was quickly pulled away from his thoughts, though, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked over to see Lil' Ray grinning wolfishly at him. "So, when you goin' back to school, Sammy?" 

Sam generally hated being called that, especially since it was only Dean that called him that, but for some reason he didn't mind it now. 

"Uh, I'm not sure, actually," Sam replied, clearing his throat. He looked over to John for some kind of answer. 

His dad said, "Monday. I gotta go register him tomorrow." 

By 'I' Sam knew he meant 'Dean'. John hadn't registered anyone for school since Dean was a senior. 

Still, Lil' Ray nodded, before returning his attention to Sam. "What grade you goin' into?" he asked. 

"Eleventh." 

"Eleventh? You ain't got much longer, Sam." He smiled. 

Sam smiled back. "I know." 

Lil' Ray asked, "Whatcha gonna do after you graduate? College?" 

Sam paused. He wasn't expecting that to come up. Feeling suddenly very warm, he answered, "I kinda just wanna get a job." 

Younger Ray nodded. "S'good. We can get you a job here, you know." 

Sam knew. They just weren't going to stay long enough for that to happen. 

"Yeah, I'm just trying to focus on finishing high school before I jump into anything else."

Lil' Ray looked understanding. Wiping his fork on a paper napkin, he said, "Well, you focus on that, then we'll get you a job after'ards."

Focusing on school was the only thing Sam wanted to do. It was just getting harder and harder to with as much as they moved around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh god this is so bad right now please just give it some time it will all get better i stg

The Winchesters had been staying at Ray and Ray Hamby's house for only about three days before Sam realized that despite older Ray's good cooking and Lil' Ray's friendliness, he was getting /bored/. 

There wasn't anything to do around there, at least not for people like Sam and Dean. Older Ray had hunting to talk about with their dad, and guns to show him, but for Sam and Dean, there were chickens. 

Out in the back yard, set up on concrete blocks, were a few chicken cages. Each one contained a different coloured chicken, and with that a couple of eggs.

The biggest chicken, Lil' Ray had told them, walking proudly over to its cage, didn't lay eggs because it wasn't a chicken at all. It was a cock. When he has explained this, Dean snorted a laugh. 

"What, you ain't never seen a cock before?" Lil' Ray asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He grinned. 

Dean chuckled sheepishly and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "No, no, I've seen plenty of cocks," he said, barely containing his laughter. He smiled. "Does your cock have a name?"

At that, Lil' Ray let out a bark of laughter, wiping a hand over his face. "Jesus, Winchester. Yeah, yeah, he's got a name. Pato." 

"Pato?" 

Sam's brows furrowed a little at that. "Isn't that... Isn't that Spanish for duck?" 

Lil' Ray shrugged, smiling at him. "S'funny, ain't it?" 

Sam let out a little laugh of his own. He said, "Uh, yeah. Just didn't know you guys knew Spanish." 

Lil' Ray grinned. "Por supuesto que sé español, yo lo tomé en la escuela secundaria." 

Sam raised his brows, vaguely impressed. 

After that older Ray and John came out of the house to join them in the back yard. Older Ray was talking about the barrel on some kind of gun, his hands moving about animatedly as he spoke, and John nodded as he talked. 

Then the Winchesters and the Rays were walking past the chickens and out into the woods, where the junk of their back yard gave way to dead leaves and scattered oaks. 

It was quieter out here somehow, even with older Ray still talking, and Sam could hear the soft patter of a creek. 

To his left, Dean looked mildly irritated, but he   
usually looked like that. 

On his right side, though, Lil' Ray was grinning at him again. He walked closer to Sam's side and elbowed him. 

"Creek runs all the way to the park in Montevallo," the blonde explained, "all kinds of fish 'n turtles 'n stuff." 

Sam smiled at him. He decided in the short amount of time that he'd been here that he liked younger Ray. He liked that he talked a lot, and wasn't obnoxious about it. 

"Yeah. Maybe you can take me fishing out here." Sam said, reaching over and shoving him playfully in return. 

Lil' Ray was about to speak when Dean snorted on Sam's other side. 

"You two are cute together," his older brother commented sarcastically. 

Sam rolled his eyes heavily.   
"Screw off, Dean."

Lil' Ray just laughed. "Don't pay him no mind," he said lightly. He then leaned in closer to Sam, feigning secrecy. "Dean's just jealous cause he ain't got no friends around here." 

Dean scoffed. "Real discreet there, Romeo. I think I'd rather be friends with the chickens." 

He looked over at him, straight-faced. "I'm sorry. The cock." 

He walked faster after that, catching up more towards older Ray and their dad. 

A little sigh escaped from Sam. When Lil' Ray heard it, he reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him in a friendly way. "I'll take you fishin', yeah. Just wait till it starts'n warm up a little. You ain't got a license, but that's ok s'long as the police don't catch us." He winked. 

Something in Sam's stomach turned a little at that- not in a bad way. Grinning, he replied, "Sounds like a plan. Although, if I'm gonna get in trouble with the law, I'd rather be caught doing something more intense than just fishing." 

Younger Ray chuckled. 

"Ain't nothing more intense than fishin', Sam."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> are these chapters really short or i am just trying to get to the point idk

As it was, Sam didn't have the chance to go fishing with Lil' Ray the day that it was supposed to be nice outside. 

That was because it was his first day at Montevallo High School. 

There were smaller towns around Montevallo, and each of them were a direct contrast to the artsy vibe of the main community. They were Dogwood, Aldrich, and Pea Ridge (of course). 

Since the surrounding communities were so tiny, they all got pushed into the high school in Montevallo, giving it a grand student body of... 

Approximately 350. 

Sam had frowned when he found this out. Four more or less average-sized towns and only 350 high school kids? That didn't seem right. 

But then again, the towns weren't exactly bustling over with people anyways. Statistics showed that Montevallo and her neigbours' population combined wasn't more than 7,000. 

Which was decent. He guessed. 

Sam showered early that morning, before anyone besides older Ray, who was feeding the chickens, was awake and quickly got dressed. 

He didn't know what to expect from a school with a student body of half-neo-hippie and half-redneck offspring, but he figured he couldn't go wrong in a t-shirt and jeans. 

After dressing Sam brushed his teeth and patted his hair into its usual style, then went into the kitchen to grab some food. 

From the clock on the microwave he could see that it was almost six-thirty; the bus ran at seven. 

Sam quickly retrieved a box of Pop-Tarts from the cabinet, all part of a healthy and wholesome breakfast, and opened a package with his teeth. 

He poured himself a glass of milk and drank it with his Pop-Tarts. Sam realized that he would have to brush his teeth again. 

Why had he even done it in the first place, habit? 

Before, John had often told them to go ahead and brush their teeth because he didn't know when they'd get to eat. The thought had scared Sam a little at the time, but now that he thought about it, he knew that even as mean and spiteful as John could be, he wouldn't let his kids go hungry. 

Maybe that's why he was working with Ray to sell used car parts. 

Sam's thoughts left his head as he finished up his breakfast and threw his trash away. He turned back towards the hallway and headed into the bathroom again to re-brush his teeth. 

As he did, a door on the opposite end of the little hall creaked open. Sam stilled for a moment. Then there was a soft tapping on the bathroom door, and a hushed, "You decent?" with a familiar chuckle behind it. 

Sam smiled, spitting out the toothpaste, and opened the door. There stood Lil' Ray in a camoflauge t-shirt and grey sweatpants, his blond hair still a mess. 

"Hey, kid," he said with a smile, pressing his hand into the door frame. His grey eyes were only half-opened.

Sam returned the smile. "Hey, Ray. I wake you up?" 

Lil' Ray chuckled softly, before letting out a short yawn. "Nah, TV did. Dad leaves it on every morning 'fore he goes'n feeds the chickens." 

"You mean the cocks?" Sam asked with a slight grin. 

Lil' Ray rolled his eyes, but still smiled. "There's only one cock out there, smartass," he replied, leaning forward to shove at Sam's arm. 

Sam laughed at his reaction and put his toothbrush back into the holder. "So," he said, straightening a little, "big day for me." 

Lil' Ray nodded. It seemed a little apologetic, almost. 

"Jeez, junior year at Montevallo High School. Lemme tell you. That was some bull." He laughed quietly, shaking his head. 

"Fun bull, but still bull. You ready for it?" He clasped Sam's shoulder. The brunette just shrugged. 

"Sure. I mean, I've moved around so many times I barely notice the difference anymore. Same people, most of the time." 

A bright smile filled younger Ray's features. "You ain't gonna find anyone like the people here'n Montevallo."

Sam raised his eyebrows at that. 

"Queers and steers, man," Lil' Ray told him. 

Sam's brows only went up further than that. "Really?" 

Lil' Ray smirked at his response. "It's an art town, Sam. It sure ain't chicken farmers. 'Cept us few." 

Sam was going to reply but was cut short by the sound of his bus going by. Almost on instinct, Sam grabbed up his backpack from beside the shower and slung it over his shoulder. 

"Sorry, man, gotta go," he said to Ray as he passed by him to race out the door. 

He could hear Ray laughing to himself as he crossed out of the built-in porch and down the concrete steps, down to the edge of the driveway- which was actually just gravel. 

The bus stopped at a dead-end up ahead, so all he had to do was wait for it to turn back around. 

When it did, Sam hoisted his backpack further up his shoulder, running a hand over his hair, and bounded up the stairs up to the aisle of the bus. 

This is where Sam tried to avoid eye contact; he had done this a million times before, but each time he swore the stares only lasted longer. 

And each time he was a little scared that nobody would offer him a place to sit. 

His fear was, thankfully, not confirmed, though, and Sam plopped down in a spot next to a pretty blonde girl who had patted the space beside her invitingly. 

Maybe he had watched Forrest Gump too many times. 

Clumsily, Sam brought his backpack from around his shoulder to his front where he could set it in his lap so people could pass by him if they needed to. 

The girl next to him watched with a raised brow. 

"Are you stupid or something?" she asked. 

Sam froze; yep, definitely Forrest Gump. 

Grinning sheepishly, he turned his head to her and unthinkingly held out a hand. 

"Uh, hi. I'm-" 

"Forrest, Forrest Gump?" 

Sam let out a choked-sounding laugh. It was kind of funny, actually. 

"Um, no. I'm Sam," he said. His hand was still out, he hadn't noticed, and was shaking slightly. 

The girl just looked at him like he was retarded. Then, huffing softly, she took his hand in her own and said, "Ruby." 

"Ruby? Nice to meet you." 

The sides of her mouth flickered a little. "You too, Forrest." 

For the rest of the bus ride to the school, Sam and the girl- Ruby- said nothing. Which wasn't surprising. He was a little... Gump. 

But near the end of the ride, when the bus was turning into the road that let up to the unloading zone beside the school, Ruby spoke again. 

"You're new here, so prepare to get your ass whooped a few times."

Sam blinked. 

He wasn't exactly the fighting type, but anybody with eyes could see that he wasn't the kid that you'd wanna have a beef with. 

He may have only been sixteen, but Sam was /built/. Six-foot-four and broad shouldered- not the kind you go Nacho Libre on. 

"I'm not- Why would someone try to fight me?"

Ruby rolled her eyes as the bus rounded a curve. 

"I didn't say they'd wanna fight you."

"You said I'd get my ass whoop-" 

"Whooped. Yeah, you will. Just not in the way you think." 

Sam could only blink again as the bus pulled up to the point where they let students off. 

Sam almost wanted to ask Ruby another question- particularily one pertaining to his physical/mental health- but decided against it as they stepped off the bus. 

Besides, she was walking in the other direction. 

"Well, bye, then, Jenny," Sam muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

Being in Montevallo High School was vaguely like being in the psych unit at a children's hospital, Sam had come to find out. 

The place looked nice from the outside. Really nice, actually. There were picnic tables outside of the lunch room and big, shady trees. Even the front of the school looked nice; huge, white pillars holding up the front of the building, making it look larger than it actually was. 

The inside, inversely, was borderline unsanitary. The main office looked nice, witb glass doors leading into the actual school, but once you passed that, it was like a detention centre. 

There were lockers missing their doors (which Sam couldn't even think of why that would be) and the hallways were too crowded and the bathrooms... God, what the hell? 

There was /caution tape/ over some of the stalls. 

Sam sincerely hoped, as he entered one of the classrooms, the first one listed on his schedule, that the education here made up for how the place looked- from the inside, at least. 

Naturally, every head turned when he stepped in, and Sam felt like an idiot for a moment. 

Clearing his throat, Sam looked down at his schedule and then up at the teacher. 

"Mrs. Pastor?" 

The teacher smiled brightly at him. She was a portly woman, probably in her late thirties, with short brown hair and glasses. 

"Hi!" she said, standing from her desk and crossing over to meet him. As they shook hands, she asked, "What is it, Sam, right?" 

Sam nodded. Apparently he was already in the system. 

"Well, then, Sam, have a seat at any empty desk. We were just in the middle of taking notes." 

Sam did as he was instructed and found a seat near the front board. 

He didn't have much on him school supplies-wise, but he had managed to achieve a notebook from a local dollar store. 

As the lecture continued, Sam opened the notebook and wrote 'History Notes' at the top margin of the page. 

They had been learning about the Spanish Civil War when he had walked in, he found out after a few slides of notes across the board. 

While he was jotting down some dates, Sam felt something hit his shoulder. 

A paper ball bounced off of him into the floor. His brow furrowing, he turned his head to see who had thrown it.

He found the familiar face of Ruby, the girl he'd rode the bus with earlier. 

She smiled and waved at him. Sam was vaguely confused by this; hadn't she just told him to be ready to get his ass kicked? 

He waved back anyways, before returning his attention to the board. 

After another half-hour of hearing about Spanish generals and the guns they had used, the bell rang. Mrs. Pastor announced, "Quiz on Thursday!" Nobody seemed to hear her, though, because they were all piling out into the hallway. 

With a quiet sigh, Sam grabbed his notebook and tucked it under his arm. 

"Oh, Sam, I'm sorry, but the rules about backpacks is that they have to stay in your locker," Mrs. Pastor said to him as he started out of the room. 

He blinked, a little thrown off, but nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am." 

No backpacks? That was weird. Was it some kind of safety procedure? 

Surely if someone had a gun and they were truly wanting to shoot it they would find some other way to sneak it in. 

Sam didn't think about that too hard as he made his way out of the main building. 

His locker, as luck would have it, was in the building connected to the lunch room, the "senior hall", they called it. The juniors were on that hall, too, but he guessed they weren't as important. 

On his way there, he felt something hit him again, this time in the back. 

"What the hell?" he said, jerking around. 

It was Ruby again. What was wrong with her? 

"Hey, Forrest," she said, walking up beside him. "How you liking Montevallo Hell School?" 

Sam looked down at the pen she had thrown at him. "Why do you keep throwing crap at me?" he asked, ignoring her question. 

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you're injured. Now how do you like it?"

Sam shrugged, half-considering what he'd seen from the place so far. "It's a school," he replied.

"It's disgusting, right?" 

"I mean, I guess." 

Ruby smirked. "Is there caution tape in your bathroom, too?" 

Sam paused, before nodding his head. He continued walking then, and Ruby followed beside him. 

"It's so /ratchet/," she said with a laugh. Sam figured that must have meant something to do with being gross. Ruby continued, "So, you're a junior? How come you showed up in the middle of the year?"

Sam gave her the same answer he gave everyone. "My dad got a job out here. What grade are you in?" 

"Tenth." 

Sam looked at her. There was about a foot of height difference between them. Aside from that, she looked older than a sophomore. 

"Cool," he said. He didn't have much to say to her, really, but as he made his way to his locker, she kept on talking. 

"So, what's your dad do?" 

"He's a car salesman." Half true. 

"Oh, yeah? Where'd you move from?"

"Wyoming." 

"Wyoming? Damn, what're you doing down here?"

Sam shrugged. "Dad found a job." 

The bell rang again, signaling that everyone should be in their next class. 

Sam wasn't too worried about it- since he was new, he could probably get away with being late. He shut his locker and gave Ruby a raised look. 

"What are you doing on this hall if you're a sophomore?" he questioned. 

"The art room is down here." 

"You have art this period?" 

Ruby smiled at him. With a pop of her lips, she said, "Nope." 

She then turned on her heel and walked back towards the entrance of the building. 

Slightly confused, Sam shook his head. "She's weird," he said to himself. 

But, he also thought, at least she wanted to talk to him, which was more than he ha expected on his first day.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days at school went by quickly, which was a good thing. 

Sam had found himself talking more to Ruby on the bus ride in the morning and during lunch, but even then she still did most of the talking. 

She mainly asked questions and Sam gave brief answers. Ruby was the kind to ask things that most people thought rude to ask, but Sam didn't really care. At least she was interested in him. 

"What kind of car does your dad drive?" she asked at lunch, while Sam was in line picking up a tray. 

The question was a little random, he thought, but he shrugged. "A '67 Impala. It's black. Why?" 

"Well, you said he's a used parts salesman, so I figured he'd know his cars." 

After Sam had picked out whatever food looked edible, Ruby led them over to a half-empty table; the tables were all circular, and this one was pushed against a wall. 

The wall-seat was already taken by a brown-headed girl who looked too involved in her phone to care if they sat the table or not. Next to her was a boy with what looked like really bad acne, his hair a sandy colour. 

When they sat down, the girl said, "Who's the moose?" 

Sam didn't know she had noticed him there. 

Ruby sniffed in amusement. "This is Sam. Sam, this is Meg and Lucifer." 

Sam's eyes flickered over to the boy. "Lucifer?" he said, without really considering if he sounded rude or not. 

Lucifer grinned a little. "My parents are Satanists," he said. 

The girl, Meg, reached over and swatted him on the arm. "Bullshit, Lu." She looked up from her phone and at Sam. "His dad's a /preacher/."

"Meg, don-" 

"A /Baptist/ preacher. He only named him Lucifer because he didn't like his mom." 

Sam was a little surprised how she just told him her friend's business with no hesitation. 

Lucifer scoffed. "Thanks for telling him my life story, bitch." 

Sam was even more surprised at the sudden name-calling. 

Meg only seemed to think it was funny, though, and giggled as she went back to her phone. 

Ruby leaned into Sam. "They're totally in love with each other," she said just loud enough for him to hear. 

"Am not," Meg protested, not looking away from her screen. 

Ruby shot her a look. "Yes you fucking are, don't even try to lie about it." She laughed. 

"Don't even fucking try to lie about what?" Lucifer interjected. 

Ruby answered, "That you two are totally in love." 

Meg rolled her eyes. Lucifer just looked confused. 

"No, thanks, Ruby. I don't do one-night stands."

Meg swatted him again, harder this time. The rest of lunch went on like this, with Meg and Lucifer insulting each other and Ruby accusing them of wanting to do each other. Sam just kind of sat there. It was funny enough, just to watch, but he felt like trying to be a part of their conversation would ruin their fun. 

The bell rang, and people went to put their trays away. Meg and Lucifer were still playfully hitting each other as they stood and said their goodbyes. 

"Nice meetin' you, Sam," Meg said with a smirk. 

"Yeah, you too." It was the first thing he had said to her. 

After they had left, Ruby wrapped a hand around Sam's wrist. "C'mon," she said, standing and trying to hoist him up, "I'll show you to the gym."

Sam wad pretty sure he could find it himself, but he let Ruby lead him there anyways. While they walked, she talked and asked how he liked her friends and said they were fine. She hadn't let go of his wrist. 

Sam didn't mind. Now he had a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, Sam," younger Ray said as they walked together past the chickens, into the woods, "how you likin' school?"

They decided they were going fishing today, even if it was cloudy. 

Sam smiled. "It's going okay, actually. I have a couple of friends." Or, he was pretty sure he did. 

"Yeah?" Ray said, gripping his shoulder. He seemed to do that a lot. "That's good. What's their names?" 

"Well, Ruby is the first person I met there. She rides my bus. I met Lucifer and Meg through her." 

Ray coughed out a laugh. "Lucifer?" 

Sam shrugged, chuckling a little himself. "His dad's a Baptist preacher." 

"No shit," Ray said, tongue in cheek. The tacklebox in his hand rattled as they walked over a slab of rock. 

They continued talking about school for a while. Sam told him about his classes, and how he had been placed in Fish and Wildlife, which was basically a hunting class. Ray grinned broadly at that, even as Sam told him about how he had wanted to be in sociology. 

Ray was a pretty talkative person, but he also listened pretty well, which Sam appreciated. He liked people that were capable of balancing talking and listening out. 

After Sam told him about how his Fish and Wildlife's teacher's last name happened to be Ray, the blonde replied, "Just goes to show that you were meant to be in that class, Sammy." 

When he winked at him, something in Sam's chest fluttered. 

Sam couldn't exactly say that he was starting to have a /crush/ on Ray, but... Maybe? 

He was cute, now that Sam thought about it. At first his face looked too pointed, like his dad's, but now he could see that he just had a sharp jaw and raised cheekbones, and his eyes were a silvery kind of blue. 

He wasn't too thin, he noticed as well, just tall and unmuscled. 

He didn't know. Maybe it was just the way Ray made him feel. He seemed to really be interested in Sam, and he wanted to take him fishing, wanted to ask him how school was going. That was a lot more than anyone else had done for him. 

"All right, so, let's look at what we got," Ray said when they had found a good spot to fish. 

The water was less shallow here, meaning bigger fish, and there weren't as many weeds and rocks to interfere with the flow of the creek. 

As Ray opened the tacklebox, he asked, "You know how to bait a hook?" 

Sam shook his head. He had only been fishing maybe once before, and that was with his dad's friend Bobby when Sam was little. He remembered that he had accidently gotten the hook caught in Bobby's leg. 

Ray chuckled. "Okay, well, we're gonna use live bait this time. Makes it easier to catch fish." After he explained this, he reached into the tacklebox and pulled out a circular plastic tub. 

Sam looked at it with interest, watching as Ray popped off the lid to reveal the soft, brown dirt that was inside. In it, little pink bodies went in and out of sight. 

Sam crinkled his nose, grinning. "Am I gonna feel guilty about hurting a worm?" he asked half-jokingly. 

Ray shook his head. "Not if you catch the right fish." 

They then set to work, grabbing up their fishing poles and sitting on the edge of a large rock that stuck out of the side of the ground. 

"We've used all kinds of bait," Ray said as he looped a worm around his hook, "crickets, pieces of food. Anything that they can sense." 

Sam nodded, listening. He could see how using live bait would attract fish by its smell, but then again, those rubber, glittery things seemed to work, too. 

"Can you help me?" Sam asked. His worm was still wriggling around in the palm of his hand; he wanted to hook it just right. Maybe because he felt a little guilty about hurting a worm, and he didn't want it to suffer. 

Ray nodded and took the worm from Sam's hand. He then strung it easily around the hook, so that its wriggling stopped. So long, little guy. 

Sam smiled, mouthing his thanks. Then he and Ray stepped off of the rock and stood by the edge of the creek, their hooks dangling over the water. 

"So, you like Ruby?" Ray asked casually, as he drew the pole back, preparing to swing it out into the water. 

Sam thought about it for a moment.

"I dunno," he said with a shrug, doing as Ray had done with his pole. "She talks a lot. Asks a lot of questions." 

Ray laughed. "So do I," he said, as if reminding him. 

Sam felt a little shot of warmth go up his neck. 

"Yeah, but... I don't know. She's pretty, sure, but I just don't think anything could happen between us." 

"Why not?" 

Sam stilled for a moment. "Because I'm leaving soon. It would just be a lot of drama." He brushed his hair out of his face. 

"Yeah. Guess it would be." Ray agreed. 

They didn't say much for a little while after that. The soft pitter-patter of the creek, along with the constant chips of birds, could be heard, but other than that, they were quiet. 

Eventually, Ray perked up. Placing two hands on the pole, he said, "Somethin's biting." Grinning, he slowly began to reel, a concentrated look in his eyes. 

But sure enough when he brought the line in there was no fish to seen, and also no worm. 

"Aw, little bastard took it and left." he said, chuckling. 

All he did was rebait and went back at it. 

Sam looked at him with a still smile. That was another thing he liked about Ray: he didn't let much get to him. Even with his father constantly needing his help with loading up trucks and cleaning around the yard and taking care of chickens (and cocks), Ray never got discouraged. 

He seemed like a genuinely content person, and Sam liked that.


	7. Chapter 7

The ass whooping that Ruby had warned Sam about was just an offhanded comment in the back of Sam's mind. 

Or it was, until two weeks after he'd been in school and he was suddenly cornered in the boys' bathroom. 

Sam was washing his hands when he had noticed a kid at the sink opposite of him was just standing there, slowly chewing a mouthful of gum. 

"You're Winchester, right?" the guy asked. 

Sam reached for a paper towel. "Yeah, I am. Why?" 

The boy couldn't have been over five-foot-five. Aside from that, he had golden blonde hair that was combed behind his ears, and a sure smirk on his face as he stepped closer to Sam. 

As he did, Sam turned around to face him, his expression defensive. The kid just let out a little laugh. 

"Relax, sasquatch. I was just gonna ask you for your schedule." 

Sam blinked. He bent down to his backpack and unzipped it, pulling his schedule out, a little unsure of why he had even wanted to see it.

The guy took it and read over it once, quickly, before shoving it back to him. 

"Huh," he said, popping his gum. 

Sam raised a brow. What the heck did this guy want? 

The blonde pursed his lips. "Okay, well, nice meeting you, then." 

Then, suddenly, Sam was being pulled back by his arms towards a stall, and he could've sworn there was nobody else in the bathroom with them until then. 

"Fuck, get off!" Sam yelled, even as he was being pushed into a stall. 

After that, something clattered against the floor, and Sam realized it was a chair as it was pushed up against the lock on the stall. 

He was stuck. 

"What the fuck? Let me out, you assholes! Let me out!" He pushed needlessly against the door. 

On the other side, the short boy rapped his finger in a little pattern against the door, laughing. "Better find some other way out of there, Sam-O." Two more sets of laughter were heard, before the three guys were out of the bathroom, the door shutting behind them loudly. 

Sam growled. "What. The. Fuck." He knew that trying to get past or under the door was useless because of the chair, so he had no choice but to climb. 

Grabbing hold of the toilet paper despenser for leverage, Sam stepped up on the toilet. Unfortunately, his foot slipped when he did, landing in the water. "Son of a bitch," he bit out. 

All he could do was shake it off and keep climbing. He was afraid that the despenser might break if he stepped to step up on it, so he put a foot up on the pipes connecting the toilet to the wall, getting just high enough that he could swing his leg over the neighbouring stall. 

After he got both legs successfully over, Sam carefully hoisted himself down, trying his best not to land on the despenser of this stall. When he hit the floor in one piece, Sam quickly dusted off and pushed open the stall door. 

He exited the bathroom with every intention of going to the principal's office. 

And he would have, too, if it weren't for Ruby stopping him in the hallway. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her hands were splotched with paint. 

"Woah, there," she said, holding her hands up as Sam tried to pass her. Her eyes flickered down to his soaked leg before going back up to his face. 

"What the hell happened to you?" 

Fuming, Sam said, "Some idiot dickheads locked me in a stall." 

Ruby's brows shot up. "Seriously? How'd they lock you in?" 

"With a chair." 

Ruby scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Must have broken into one of the closets. Are you okay? Did you see who it was?" 

"I'm fine. And I didn't get any names, but the kid was short, with blonde hair. He was chewing gum." 

Ruby's expression softened to something more embarrassed-looking. "Oh, um, Sam," she said, biting her lip with that looked like a sheepish grin, "That was Gabriel Novak."

Sam blinked at the name. "Is that supposed to /mean/ something to me? Listen, I don't care who it was, I'm not putting up with that shit, I'm going to the-"

"No, Sam, what're you, five? You can't go to the principle!" 

Sam gave her an incredulous look. "Are you /kidding/ me? That asshole locked me in a stall! Plus, he had to break into a closet to get that chair!"

Ruby rolled her eyes again. "Sam, honestly, calm down about the chair. Listen." She sighed, bringing a hand up to the back of her head to pat down her hair. "Gabriel does that to everyone. Every new kid. It's just, like... I don't know, hazing?" 

"Hazing? Ruby, I'm a new student, not a /gang member/!" Sam all but yelled at her. 

She shushed him. "Shut up, you are so loud! Listen, if you've got beef with Gabriel, go talk to him about it. Don't tell on him like a baby. Jesus." 

Sam watched her as she walked past him to the girl's bathroom, more than likely to wash her hands. 

"What's wrong with the bathroom on the senior hall?" Sam called after her. 

She paused before going in. "Sinks are broken." She grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, I kind of got molested in the boy's bathroom," Sam told Dean after getting off the bus. 

Dean looked at him with a half-traumatized expression. "What the fuck?" 

Sam let out a long sigh. "Emotionally molested," he corrected, "and yeah, it sucked." 

Dean's brows came together in hard line. "What happened?" 

Sam told him about the event and Dean listened intently, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. 

When Sam was through, Dean rolled his tongue around in his cheek. Then, slowly, he said, "Isn't that bullying or whatever?" 

Sam nodded. 

"Then," Dean said, pulling away from the edge of the dresser, where he had been leaning, "why the HELL didn't you beat that kid's ass?!" 

Sam rolled his eyes. It would be just like his older brother to suggest violence before any other option. 

"That's stupid, Dean. Ruby told me that this kid does it to everyone. I can't just kick his ass."

"You said the kid's, like, five-foot-nothing, why can't you beat his ass?" Dean demanded, looking at Sam like he was insane. 

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "It was just a stupid prank, Dean. I'll get over it. Just... Don't go up there asking for a blonde elf, okay?" He gripped Dean's shoulder, before turning and leaving their bedroom, grabbing his backpack on the way out. 

Sam didn't have much homework, just some history terms and few gun parts to name for Fish and Wildlife, but he figured he could get Ray to help him with that. 

Sam went and sat out to the built-in porch and sat on one of the chairs they'd put out there. The cusion on it was a little weathered and holey, but it beat sitting in the cramped little house. 

Sam pulled his history book out and tore a piece of paper out of his notebook. All he had to do for this assignment was define some terms, which were already in the book. Simple. 

The wind blew softly in through the screen of the porch, just enough to make the pages of the book flap a little, and Sam could hear the leaves on the trees rustling together. 

Maybe he and Ray could go fishing again later. After all, he thought with a grin, he had a bet with him- whoever could catch the least fish had to buy the other one lunch. Sam had caught two the other day while Ray had caught none, so he figured he could probably beat him. 

Speaking of the blonde, he remembered that Ray had to go into town today to drop off a delivery to a friend of the family's, so Sam would have to wait until he got back for help on his other homework. 

Sighing, he finished up the last couple of terms as neatly as he could, before shutting the book and pulling out his binder to place the paper in it. 

He thought about school, and this place; before, it seemed like this was the worst place they could have moved to, but now it wasn't so bad. Aside from the emotional molestation in the bathroom, he had actually been kind of enjoying school. He had Ruby and Meg and Lucifer that he talked to every day, and when he came home he had Ray. 

It was almost like having a home. Almost. 

Sam grabbed up his bookbag and headed back inside. He realized how dark it was in here compared to the porch, and how much creepier, now that he looked at the stuffed animal heads for about the millionth time. 

He walked past older Ray and his dad, who were sitting on the sofa, watching some show on Animal Planet. 

"Hey, boy," old Ray said, as Sam went into the kitchen to grab something to drink. 

Sam smiled over at him. "Sir," he said, trying to be respectful- at least in front of John. 

"Grab me a beer out tha fridge, wouldja? One for yer daddy, too." Sam looked at his dad questioningly, and John just sighed. 

Sam grabbed two beer bottles out the fridge and handed them to the older men. 

"How's yer schoolin'?" old Ray asked, popping the cap of the beer on the wooden table in front of him. 

"It's good, sir. I like it here." That was true.

"S'good, s'good," Ray nodded, taking a long pull from the bottle. 

John nodded, too, and allowed Ray to open his bottle the same way he had opened his. 

Soon it was growing darker outside, the sun setting behind the trees. 

Lil' Ray was back in time for dinner, which, sadly, wasn't older Ray's stew again. Just some kind of microwave meals. But that was okay; anything beat snack machine food. 

"Hey, kid," younger Ray greeted Sam as usual, ruffling his hair as he walked in the door. 

Sam was sitting in a chair across from the sofa where old Ray and his dad sat, listening more to their whacky conversation than the TV show. 

He smiled up at the blonde boy. "Hey, Ray," he said. "How's it going?"

Lil' Ray flattened his palm against his eye, rubbing it as he yawned. "Long day, but I'm all good." he replied, heading over to the fridge to grab himself a beer. 

Sam watched him as he took a seat in floor beside the couch, twisting the cap off his beer instead of cracking it open on the table. He and his dad were different in some ways, it turned out. 

Dean came out of the bedroom then, greeting everyone with a jerky nod. 

Sam almost cracked a smile. He loved his brother, but sometimes he could be such a hardass that it was funny. 

By the time Dean had taken his seat in the floor in front of Sam, everyone in the room had a beer except the brunette himself. 

It was a little stupid to feel jealous, but he couldn't help feeling like a little kid. Which, opposed to everyone else, he kind of was. Dean was twenty, not actually legal drinking age, but nobody stopped him from having a beer, where Sam was only sixteen. He'd be seventeen in a couple of weeks, but that didn't make much of a difference. 

But he didn't let that get in way of much. He still silently enjoyed watching TV with his brother and his dad and the Rays, even if nobody said anything. 

For a while, it was like a family.


	9. Chapter 9

It didn't take long for everyone at school to think that Sam and Ruby were dating. 

There were even rumours that they'd already slept together, but Sam honestly couldn't care enough to try to set the record straight- he left that up to Ruby. 

One day at lunch, as Sam and Ruby were in lunch line, as usual, a couple of redneck kids behind them asked, "Y'all two fuckin' each other?" 

Sam resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. Ruby, who had recently made a habit of holding onto Sam's sleeve, turned and smiled sweetly at them. 

"Are you two?" she asked, throwing the question back at them. 

It happened like that. Sam was just so done with most of these people at school that he didn't even care if they thought he and Ruby were fuck buddies. Hell, he probably wouldn't have cared if they thought he and the math teacher were. 

Sam knew that it wouldn't be long before he was leaving here. And honestly, it was kind of sad. As much as the student body got on his nerves- fights twice a week, people locking you in stalls, constant noise- he would miss the few friends he had made. 

Ruby suggested they eat outside today, so everyone picked up their tray and headed out to the picnic tables. Apparently it was "senior only" sitting, but, again, Sam didn't care. 

Meg had recently gotten a new phone because Lucifer had accidently knocked the old one into the floor when they were play-fighting, and despite his attempts to apologize to her, she was ignoring him. 

Ruby explained that this was just another way that they flirted. 

"So, guys," Ruby said, drawing Sam's attention away from a MHS Bulldogs flag hanging outside of the main building, "who wants to go camping?" 

Meg, despite her investment in her phone, scoffed. "Who wants to go jump off a bridge, more like it." 

Lucifer laughed, probably just to please Meg. 

It was Sam who agreed with her. 

"Yeah, I'll go," he replied, smiling at the blonde.

She gripped his sleeve harder, excited. "Awesome! I can get us a spot at Oak Mountain for this weekend." 

Meg and Lucifer, in spite of their earlier reactions, both asked how much it was. 

"Not too expensive," Ruby promised. 

Instantly Sam thought of Ray. 

"Um, could I bring someone along?" he asked. 

"Sure. Who is it?" Ruby asked, no doubt curious about who Sam knew outside of school. 

He chuckled. "A friend that I'm staying with. His name is Ray." 

"Ray? How old is he?" Meg asked, still not looking away from her phone. 

"Uh, twenty-three." 

"Cool." 

The bell rang then for everyone's sixth period. "Okay, I'll text you guys later with the details, then," Ruby said, and both Meg and Lucifer said, "Whatever." 

Sam wondered if Ray would want to come. It almost seemed like a dumb idea, because he was so much older, but he was sure that if he didn't mind hanging out with Sam that he wouldn't mind hanging out with his friends. Or he hoped, at least. 

Ruby held onto his sleeve all the way up to the side entrance of the school, where she crossed over to the Agriculture building. 

As she left, Sam still wondered if he liked her or not.

On his way to chemistry class, Sam passed by a face he wished wasn't so familiar. Gabriel stood by the water fountain outside of the boys' bathroom, snickering as the brunette walked by. 

"Glad to see you made it out alive, Winchester," he said, grinning cheekily around a sucker. 

Sam sighed heavily, annoyed, but didn't reply to him. He kept walking, quickening his pace when he heard, "Hellooo? Earth to yeti?" 

Sam snapped around, his jaw clenched. "What the motherfuck do you want?" 

Gabriel raised his hands in mock-defense. Then, smirking, he pulled the sucker out of his mouth and said, "Just trying to have some pleasant conversation." 

"I'd rather talk to a cock." 

Gabriel chuckled. "I'm sure you would, big boy," he said, and Sam wasn't sure if his wink was authentic or not, "but listen. I just wanted to say that that little... eh, incident, was just part of the drill. Nothing personal." 

Sam looked at him. 

Gabriel shifted a little. 

"I know that you're mad-" 

"Mad? You locked me in a bathroom and you don't even know me." 

Gabriel blinked. He put the sucker back in his mouth. "And for that I apologize." 

Sam slowly raised a brow. "You apologize." 

Gabriel nodded, thoughtful-looking. "Yeah, that was mean. But like I said, nothing personal." He stepped closer to Sam; Sam stepped back. 

"Aw, c'mon," Gabriel laughed, extending his hand. "Just accept my apology." 

Sam eyed his hand for a moment. No stupid buzzers or anything from what he could see, but he still didn't take it. 

"No. Sorry, but you're a dick." 

When he turned and went on to class, Gabriel didn't try to stop him.


	10. Chapter 10

"Camping?" Ray said. 

Sam nodded. "Yeah, just for a night. I know it's dumb, but..." He lifted his shoulders. "Figured I'd ask." 

Ray considered him for a moment. "Saturday? I don't think I can, man. Sorry." He looked like he really was sorry. 

Sam just huffed out a little sigh. "It's cool," he said, running a hand through his hair. 

Ray smiled. "But, maybe you'n me can have our own camping trip another night," he said, "I got sleepin' bags and stuff. We could go down by the creek." 

Despite being a little disappointed, Sam grinned. He replied, "Okay. That sounds great." 

Ray said he had to go into town to pick up some boxes then, leaving Sam alone on the built-in porch. As he watched him pull out of the gravel driveway in his red Ford truck, Sam felt his chest swell in excitement. 

Then, hearing the door to the house open, he turned to see Dean coming out, his hair wet and still in his pajamas. 

"You're up early," Sam commented. 

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I couldn't help overhearing you and Tim McGraw out here making plans to go Brokeback Mountain." 

Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Dean, we're just friends." 

Dean cocked a brow. 

"I'm serious!" Sam's face turned warmer. 

Shaking his head, Dean said, "Uh-huh. You'd better go catch your bus, Gyllenhaal." 

When Sam told Ruby that Ray couldn't make it, she looked mildly disappointed, but understood. 

"Well, we'd probably bore him to death anyways. He is way older than us." 

"I dunno. He hangs out with me a lot." 

Ruby laughed. "That's 'cause you're cute." 

Meg said without much interest in her voice that she could go, along with Lucifer, who looked towards Meg for approval, which didn't come. Lucifer then stated that he would have to get someone to watch his brother if he went. 

"Brother?" Sam asked. 

Lucifer nodded, looking slightly irritated. "Castiel. He's three. I don't even know why /I/ have to watch him. Gabriel usually does."

Sam cocked his head. "Wait, Gabriel? As in-?" 

"Gabriel Novak," Ruby answered. 

Sam gaped a little. "Gabriel is your brother?" 

"Pft. You didn't know?" Meg looked up from her phone to give him a questioning look. 

Sam shook his head. "You don't look anything alike," he said. 

Lucifer shrugged. "Different moms." 

He understood. 

That day instead of sixth period, there was an assembly. 

Everyone gathered around the entrance to the PAC, they called it, which was an auditorium that put the rest of the school to shame. It was nice in there, with a large projection screen and clean floors, no stains on the walls, or caution tape.

Unfortunately Sam and his friends were separated due to seating by grades, so Sam had to sit by himself. The girl next to him smiled as he took his seat. He had seen her before- English. 

"Hi," he said with a returned smile. 

The girl was pretty, with dark hair and round eyes. 

"Hi," she replied. 

He was going to say something else, but someome behind him grabbed his attention before he could speak. 

"Sammy!" Gabriel said, clasping him on the shoulder. 

Sam turned his head to see the blonde smiling at him, a package of Red Vines in his lap.

The first thing he said was, "How do you get away with eating all that crap?" 

Gabriel chuckled, picking up the package and pulling out a vine. "Easy, sneak 'em in. You want one?" He held the package out to Sam. 

He shook his head, clearing his mind. "Why are you even speaking to me?" he asked. 

"Oh, wow, rude. I'm pretty sure you're speaking to me, moose." 

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" 

Gabriel laughed. "Because you look like a moose! Doesn't he look like a moose?" He looked to the girl beside him. 

She gave Sam an apologetic-looking smile. 

Sam groaned loudly, slumping back in his seat. "I cannot stand you." 

"You have such a way with words, Sam. I'm flustered." 

Sam turned again, glaring at him. A Red Vine hung out of his mouth. "Look, I don't want to be your friend, okay?" 

Gabriel looked falsely hurt. "But what if I wanted to be your friend?" 

"Friends don't lock friends in bathrooms!" 

Sam hadn't realized how loudly he'd said this until the chatter around him stopped and people were blinking at him. 

Feeling his face heat up, he quickly turned back around in his seat and tried to ignore any further comments from the boy behind him. 

What happened instead was Gabriel climbed- he couldn't even be bothered to walk around the row of seats- over his chair and sat right next to Sam, shoving the package of Red Vines in his face. 

"C'mon. Think of it as a peace offering." 

"I don't want any of your damn candy." Sam's eyes were closed in frustration. 

"Sheesh," Gabriel drew the package back into himself, taking another for himself. "Touchy. And to think that you hang out with my brother." 

Sam cracked one open, his brows knitting together. "What's wrong with Lucifer?"

"His name, for one," Gabriel chuckled, "other than that, I don't think you wanna know." 

Sam made an irritated noise in his throat. This kid was pissing him off more than even before. 

"Yeah, well, Lucifer never locked me in a toilet," he replied, crossing his arms.

"Touché," Gabriel giggled, reaching a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a couple of Jolly Ranchers, one red and one blue. 

He poked one into Sam's arm until he uncrossed his arms and took one, hesitantly. 

With a satisfied look, Gabriel opened the wrapper on his, the red one, and popped it into his mouth. 

Sam unwrapped his slowly, sliding into his mouth. 

"So, I hear y'all are going camping," Gabriel said. 

Sam rolled the candy between his teeth, not looking at him. "And?" 

"And maybe I want to go, too." 

Sam laughed without humour. "Right." 

"I'm serious!" 

"Don't you have a baby to watch?" Sam turned his head to look at him. 

Gabriel at least had the decency to look mildly embarrassed. 

"My older brother can watch him." 

"Older brother?" 

"Yeah," Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck, "he didn't mention Bal?" 

"Bal?" 

"Balthazar. If you haven't noticed, my dad likes really ridiculous names. There's him and Michael, and me, Lucifer, and Castiel." 

Sam raised his brows a little. He said, "That's a lot of boys." 

Gabriel smiled. "There's Anna, too." 

And Sam had thought one sibling was a lot to handle.


End file.
